How many squares are there in the figure given below?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → 20
The figure is a grid of 4 × 3 small squares. A square of side \(k\) small squares can start at \(5-k\) places across and \(4-k\) places down.
1 × 1 squares: \(4\times3=12\)
2 × 2 squares: \(3\times2=6\)
3 × 3 squares: \(2\times1=2\)
Total \(=12+6+2=20\) squares.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) 60 — Incorrect. This is the number of all rectangles in the grid; most of them are not squares.
Option (3) 12 — Incorrect. This counts only the 12 smallest squares.
Option (4) 14 — Incorrect. This leaves out the 6 2 × 2 squares.